The telephone is one of the most widely used pieces of communication equipment in the world. At first, it was merely a convenient tool to allow people to communicate with each other without the necessity of being face-to-face and without the time log associated with written communication. Presently, in addition to performing communications functions, the telephone is a tool used to market products and services, provide technical support for consumer products, and, among other things, allow callers to access information such as their own financial data. Thus, the telephone is a major business, marketing and information resource.
When marketing telecommunication products and services, sales representatives discuss available services and attempt to align them with potential customer needs. Presently, the agent must use verbal descriptions to convey the benefits of the service to the potential customer. The agent can claim various benefits and attributes of the offered service such as superior sound quality or ease of use, but these sales propositions cannot be directly demonstrated. In other words, the problem is analogous to selling an automobile without allowing the potential buyer to test drive the vehicle.
The desire, therefore, is to provide an improved method and apparatus for demonstrating telecommunications products to potential customers. Preferably, the improved method provides a means for sales agents to provide potential customers with direct experience with the service.